Case Study

Always get clean right-size scrubs

CARROLL HOSPITAL CENTER medical staff always get clean right-size scrubs where they need to be, when they need to be, and who they need to be there for. With the Cintas program and Polytex solution, there is never a shortage of scrubs – with 25% cost-savings on replacement scrubs.

Background

Located in the northwest suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, Carroll Hospital Center strives to be the best place to practice medicine and receive care. It has grown from a small local hospital to a complete care medical center with a comprehensive range of specialties and services. The appearance and comfort of hospital staff is considered very important in projecting a good image to the community, and fostering a positive, professional environment.

scrubs dispenser, surgical scrub dispenser, medical scrub machine, automated scrub management, automated scrub dispensers, linen and scrub dispensing solutions, scrub and linen management, uniform management - Carroll Hospital Building -clean right-size scrubs

Top Five Achievements

With the Cintas Scrubs Rental Program and Polytex automated garment management system and scrub vending machines, Carroll Hospital Center was able to achieve these goals:

  1. 25% cost-savings on replacement scrubs
  2. Clean scrubs available around the clock
  3. Higher employee satisfaction, with better fitting, easily accessible scrubs
  4. Full monitoring and control of inventory and usage
  5. Reduced risk of contamination of clean scrubs
Carroll Hospital customer review - clean right-size scrubs

Customer Testimonials

In the past, there was very little oversight of the scrubs; it was a free-for-all. With the Cintas program and Polytex solution, there is never a shortage of scrubs. They are where they need to be, when they need to be, and who they need to be there for – always!

John Duke

Director of Spend Management, Carroll Hospital Center

Customer Needs

With more than 400 physicians and 1975 employees, ensuring that everyone has clean, well-fitting, high-quality scrubs is critical. In the past, Carroll Hospital Center struggled to meet this goal; scrubs were stored in a locker room on open shelves, and employees took garments as needed. This resulted in frequent shortages, unsanitary conditions, and unnecessary costs.
Carroll Hospital Center needed to streamline operations to gain control over inventory and expenditures.

Requirements

  • Ensure employees always have access to their preferred scrubs: The hospital wanted assurance that clean scrubs would always be available, in the right sizes.
  • Centralize hospital workwear management: Visibility into stock levels and precise inventory control was required to prevent uniform shortages and calls for urgent deliveries.
  • Improve hygiene: The hospital wanted to ensure scrubs were protected from contamination – a serious risk due to the clean scrubs being kept on open shelves in the staff locker room, alongside the dirty scrubs return bin.

The Solution

Carroll Hospital Center turned to the Cintas Scrub Rental Program to streamline operations, integrating the following elements.

  • Automated scrubs dispensing units: Cintas installed Polytex garment management system with multiple scrub dispensing machines and return units.
  • Personal accountability: To guarantee returns, employees are required to use their hospital ID Card to retrieve scrubs, and only a limited number at a time.
  • Allow staff to mix and match sizes: Instead of making scrubs available in sets, staff can select their shirt and pants separately.
  • Anti-contamination measures: To prevent exposure of clean scrubs to contamination clean scrubs are individually wrapped at the laundry and are dispensed from hygienic, closed units.

Results

With Polytex providing automated workwear management systems to Cintas and Cintas’ all-inclusive Scrub Rental Program, Carroll Hospital Center has gained multiple benefits.

Significant cost-savings
No longer paying for missing scrubs saves about 25%; and avoiding urgent restocks and laundry services yields additional cost savings.
No more losses, shortages, or out-of-stock events
With cloud-based tracking of scrubs consumption, inventory levels, and usage trends, usage abuse has been eliminated, and inventory is now managed efficiently.
Higher level of hygiene
With each clean garment returned in polywrap, exposure to bacteria is limited. Keeping the garment dispensing machine and return units in separate rooms further prevents contamination.
Clean uniforms are available in the right size, all the time
Since the scrubs are dispensed individually within the uniform inventory management system, employees can mix and match sizes for the optimal fit. This both increases satisfaction while reducing excess laundry costs.